In 2007, Albertan songwriter Scott Cook quit his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan, and moved into a minivan. He’s made his living as a troubadour ever since, touring across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He said he’s averaging 120 shows — and a dozen summer festivals — a year and calls upon material from seven albums of plainspoken, keenly observant verse over the course of his career.   

On Wednesday, March 5, Cook and his “sweetheart,” Pamela Mae, will be performing for Rainshadow Concerts’ ongoing series at the Palindrome, at the Eaglemount Winery and Cidery in Port Townsend.

Since early 2022, Cook has been touring steadily with Mae — who plays the upright bass and banjo, in addition to providing vocals — visiting 45 states, eight Canadian provinces and “a big portion” of Australia.

This year, Cook and Mae are releasing a new album, “Troubadourly Yours,” after Cook’s 2020 collection, “Tangle of Souls.” That came packaged in a cloth-bound, 240-page hardcover book of road stories, as well as what Cook described as political and philosophical musings.

The 2020 album spent two weeks at No. 1 on Alberta’s province-wide community radio network CKUA, and earned Cook his third Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, for English Songwriter of the Year.

Its second single, “Say Can You See,” was the second most-played song of 2020 on Folk Alliance International’s folk radio charts, and took top honors for the folk category, in both the 2020 UK Songwriting Competition and the 2020 Great American Song Contest.

“Fresh from the open road, these are sturdy, straight-talking songs that see the good in you,” Cook said.

What to know

Scott Cook and Pamela Mae’s Rainshadow Concert starts at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, at the Palindrome, at the Eaglemount Winery and Cidery on 1893 S. Jacob Miller Road.

Tickets are available for $20 online or $25 in cash or check at the door.